Printing Vapor Scrubber

Mechanism

3D printing vapour scrubber

3D printers have become increasingly available for use at home or in smaller businesses, and so the demand for cheap materials continues to rise.3D printers use only the amount of material they need by building objects layer by layer. However, it is the accessibility of 3D technologies which is a leading concern where plastic pollution is concerned.

The particles emitted from consumer 3D printers can affect air quality and harm respiratory health. 3D printers usually work by melting plastic filament and then depositing the melted plastic, layer upon layer to form an object. Researchers found that the hotter the temperature required to melt the filament, the more emissions produced. The exposure to these filament particles could, over time be as toxic as the air in an urban environment polluted with vehicular or other emissions.

Highlights

VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature.

The high-pressure nature means that large numbers of molecules are able to evaporate and enter the surrounding air.

Materials used for 3D printing, such as ABS, PLA, and nylon can be a source of dangerous VOCs such as styrene, butanol, cyclohexanone and ethylbenzene.

Heating ABS at a temperature typical for 3D printing results in high VOC emission.

Health effects from VOC emissions include eye, nose, and throat irritation, nausea, and organ damage.

Drizgas Tech has developed a portable scrubber to capture and control the fumes from 3D printers to reduce the impact of air quality and on their health